CalArts and Coursera to Offer Free Online Classes

Valencia, Calif,-based California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) has partnered with online course platform Coursera to offer a variety of free massive open online courses (MOOC) to students all over the world. Three CalArts’ classes will launch in Fall 2013: Introduction to Programming for Digital Artists, taught by Ajay Kapur, Ph.D, Director: Music Technology: Interaction, Intelligence and Design (MTIID) at CalArts; Creating Site-Specific Dance and Performance Works, led by Dean of CalArts Sharon Disney Lund School of Dance Stephan Koplowitz; and Live!: A History of Art for Artists, Animators and Gamers, with CalArts’ Provost and Faculty in the School of Art Jeannene Przyblyski, Ph.D.

“It is our goal at Coursera to offer our students a rich variety of academic opportunities,” said Coursera co-founder, Andrew Ng. “As an institution focused solely on the arts, CalArts provides a unique roster of rigorous arts-based courses that are now accessible to students globally.”

“We are deeply gratified to be the first arts institution included in Coursera’s selection of top universities,” said CalArts president Steven Lavine. “As an internationally renowned school of the visual and performing arts, developing the creativity of individual students is a key to the CalArts education—and Coursera, the premiere innovator in its field, is the ideal partner for extending our reach to students around the globe. Creativity is a key to success in today’s world and we can now offer students far beyond our campus the ability to hone and develop their own creative problem-framing and problem-solving skills.”

Those who successfully complete CalArts’ Coursera offerings will receive a Statement of Accomplishment signed by the instructor. Coursera classes are open to all students and free of charge. Students can now register for classes at www.coursera.org.